The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were victorious over the New York Jets in Week 17 by a score of 28-24. If the come-from-behind victory wasn't enough to have Buccaneers fans chewing their fingernails, the drama that ensued along the way surely was. After the Buccaneers-Jets game, here are three Buccaneers Week 17 takeaways following their dramatic win over New York.
Tampa Bay headed into the locker room down by 10 points to a Jets team that had won just four games coming into the contest. However, quarterback Tom Brady helped lead a furious second-half comeback, culminating in a last-second touchdown pass to wide receiver Cyril Grayson. The game also featured an unheralded Buccaneers player who stepped up on defense, as well as, yes, Antonio Brown's wild outburst, which saw him inexplicably remove his uniform and exit the field with the game still going on. Yes, the game was wild, yes it was maddening at times, but it was still a win. That said, here are three Buccaneers takeaways from their eventful win over the Jets.
Buccaneers Week 17 Takeaways
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3. Injuries may have helped discover a new key player on the Buccaneers defense
Tampa Bay is dealing with a bevy of injuries on defense, as the team's linebacker depth has particularly been hit hard, with stars Shaquil Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul and Lavonte David all sidelined. However, injuries to these stars have opened up opportunities for other players on the Buccaneers defense. Third-year linebacker Anthony Nelson has really stepped up in the absence of key pass-rushers for Tampa Bay, as Nelson has accumulated two sacks and three tackles for loss over his last two games played. Nelson has helped make up for the absences of Barrett and Pierre-Paul- and his emergence can allow the Buccaneers to have a deep rotation of pass-rushers come playoff time.
2. Tom Brady is all the Buccaneers need
Amid all the chaos, miscues and penalties, quarterback Tom Brady was the rock that led the Buccaneers to a win. No, it certainly wasn't pretty, as Tampa Bay looked very ordinary heading into the locker room down 10 points to one of the league's worst teams in the Jets. However, Brady settled in and fired two of his three touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score- in the second half, essentially putting the team on his back and dragging them to victory. The Buccaneers don't look as good as last year's version and definitely aren't as healthy. But they still have Tom Brady. That might be all they need.
1. Antonio Brown is no longer with the team- and that might not be a bad thing
Look, Antonio Brown is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. However, as the whole league saw on Sunday, sometimes it's not worth benefiting from Brown's talent, especially when he puts himself before the team. So, Brown is no longer a Buccaneer and the team's list of weapons becomes that much smaller, along with the season-ending injury to fellow wideout Chris Godwin. However, the absence of Brown might not be a bad thing. For one thing, it's less of a distraction for the Buccaneers. For another, Brady is perfectly capable of winning a title with weapons such as Mike Evans, Rob Gronkowski, Tyler Johnson, and Cyril Grayson, who has emerged for the Buccaneers as a legitimate threat- one who Brady told Bruce Arians that he “trusts.” While it hurts to lose Brown, the Buccaneers still have plenty of weapons at Brady's disposal to make noise in the NFC once again.
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